By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday August 17, 2024
The American survived a three hour and four-minute battle to reach the semifinals in Cincinnati.
Photo Source: TTV
Jessica Pegula let a 4-0 lead in the second set slip away to feisty Canadian Leylah Fernandez, but the American redoubled her efforts and came through a tense final set in balmy conditions on Saturday in Cincinnati, winning 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3).
The victory stretches Pegula's win streak to eight victories - she won the title at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday.
“I was really tired today, to be honest,” Pegula admitted to the crowd after the victory. “I came out and I toughed it out.”
It was a grueling affair, played in swirling wind that made serving difficult, and the stats bear that out. Pegula hit 25 winners and 46 unforced errors, and saved nine of 15 break points to eventually get past the 2021 US Open runner up.
There were seven consecutive breaks at one point in the opening set, with Pegula coming through, 7-5.
Credit Fernandez, who had upset Elena Rybakina in the second round and Diana Shnaider to reach the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. She never relented in her quest to break through on Saturday.
She won seven of the final nine games of the second, closing out the middle set in the tiebreak, to prolong the battle.
“I kind of hit an energy lull, and she started playing really well,” Pegula said. “I’ve seen her come back many times – I was kind of thinking about it, like ‘Oh no, it’s happening to me.’ She’s such a great competitor so I knew she wasn’t going to make it easy at any point.”
Pegula squandered a 3-0 lead in the final set but pushed back and earned thre match points with Fernandez serving at 5-6 in the final set.
The 26th-ranked 21-year-old brought it to a breaker, but couldn’t get past steely Pegula in the end.
“I was able to get fired up a little for the third and settle down, and I played some really good tennis at the end there,” Pegula said. “Really tough conditions, especially against a lefty. It was swirling, we were both really struggling with our serves, the toss on the serve, some awkward shots, so it was a little crazy today, but I got there.”
Pegula will face either Paula Badosa in the semis, with Iga Swiatek meeting Aryna Sabalenka in a battle of multiple Grand Slam winners in the top-half semi.